Suction pump unit for oil supply installations



1955 0. ECKERLE ETAL 3,

SUCTION PUMP UNIT FOR OIL SUPPLY INSTALLATIONS Filed Jan. 21, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 CI'TO E C Lil: LE Hi; LMUT BTLINZIERL AND bRNbT PUTSCHKY A TTORNEY.

Dec. 20, 1966 o. ECKERLE ETAL 3,292,548

SUCTION PUMP UNIT FOR OIL SUPPLY INSTALLATIONS Filed Jan. 21, 1965.

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

a LIN lILL-LL OTTO E c K12 R LL HELMU'I ANL) LRNST PUTSCHKY.

1966 r o. ECKERLE ETAL 3,

SUCTION PUMP UNIT FOR OIL SUPPLY INSTALLATIONS F iled Jan. 21, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 3

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Y I f 20, 1966 V o. ECKERLE ETAL 3,292,548

SUCTION PUMP UNIT FOR OIL SUPPLY INSTALLATIONS Filed Jan. 21, 1965 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. 4

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OTTO ILCKI: RLE, HEILMUT WlzIN'LILEiL and LRNST PU YSCUKH'. 7 1'3! United States Patent 3,292,548 SUCTION PUMP UNIT FOR OIL SUPPLY INSTALLATIONS Otto Eckerle, Am Bergwald 3, Malsch, Germany; Ernst Putschky and Helmut Weinzierl, Rastatt, Germany; said Putschky and Weinzierl assignors to said Eckerle Filed Jan. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 426,887 19 Claims. (Cl. 103-39) The invention pertains to a suction-pump unit for supply installations for fuel oil and other liquids, with a suction pump installed in a housing and controlled by a level-control device.

In the prior art suction pump units are known which draw oil from a tank and from which it is directed to individual combustion sites via gravity lines.

In such units the output flow is ducted into a cup or pot fastened to the pump, in order to obtain in this manner lubrication of the pump. In such units, however, the respective valves, for instance the back-pressure valve and the safety valve, actuated by the level-control device, incorporated in the pump intake, are located independently of the oil level, and thus remain dry and leak frequently, often already after the first actuation. When, in addition thereto, the electrical control fails, the safety valve opens, thus causing the oil column on the suction side to collapse all the way to the supply tank via the back-pressure valve, to which air has then been admitted from the inside. The safety valve closes only when the oil in the housing is used up by the combustion sites, thus making it possible for the pump to start again suction. If, however, the valve leaks slightly, there is a danger that the combustion sites become extinguished clue to lack of oil before the pump could have recommenced sucking the oil to fill the container. In such an instance, oil flows into the still open and no longer burning combustion site and floods it.

The primary object of the invention is to remedy the Weaknesses of the prior art systems and to provide a selflubricating suction pump unit, which operates dependably.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pump system making it unnecessary that the pump draws anew when the safety valve closes as a result of sinking of the oil level in the control chamber, by keeping the suction line filled with oil. Therefore, the pump output is immediately resumed in full and the container always remains filled to at least the same height as in the case of normal operation.

Accordingly, it is another object of the invention to provide a pump system having the level-control device submerged in an oil-conducting control chamber which makes the connection with the consuming device, the suction pump submerged in an oil-filled pump chamber separated from the control chamber by a wall, a connection piece for the suction line fastened to the pump chamber, the back-pressure valve incorporated in the pump intake and the safety valve located above the backpressure valve and activated by a float installed below the level of the oil surface, and when the safety valve is open means to admit oil into the back-pressure valve from inside, whereby the valve is sealed tightly, and the pump circulates only the oil contained in the housing.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a particularly simple solution for the situation when the oil is conveyed into the pump chamber from the upper part of the pump via an angular segment of line by making the dividing wall to serve as an overflow dam to the control chamber. In such an instance, the chosen height of the overflow must be calculated sufficiently great so that the oil level in the pump chamber determined thereby is above the safety valve.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a system of the type described, having simple installation and repair features. This is accomplished by attaching the level-control device as well as the suction pump with the valve apparatus belonging to it, to a mounting plate bridging the total cross section of the housing as an independent mountable unit which may be series produced and separately tested. This has the additional advantage that an exchange of units can be effected on the spot without further testing. 7

It is a further object of the invention to avoid simultaneously conventional integral mounting and utilizing the novel means of this invention of doing so also to silence the operation of the system and to reduce time and costs of installation.

Installation of the mounting plate in the housing can be substantially simplified because the mounting plate can be simply placed with its outer contours upon the damping buffers in the housing and held down in the center by the cover of the housing via a buffer which is inserted or buttoned into place, without the necessity of mounting it integrally. The silencing efl'ect resulting from the fact that the mounting plate is supported on buffers can furthermore be increased by also securing the pump in the mounting plate over damping buffers.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of the type described which is applicable to a wide variety of related systems utilizing various types of fluids.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art, after a study of the following detailed description, in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 shows a top plan view of the housing of a suction pump unit after removal of the housing cover.

FIGURE 2 shows a sectional drawing along the line IIH in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 shows a sectional drawing along the line IHIII in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 shows a sectional drawing along the line IV-IV in FIGURE 1.

While the scope of the invention is not limited to oscillating pumps, the aims of the invention are particularly well served by an oscillating armature pump. Such a pump can, even with a dry operating space, be subjected to a suction stroke of up to approximately 8 to 9 m., because there are no rotating parts as is the case with conventional pumps and because, when conveying air, the pump has a substantially larger lift, i.e., the pump draws rapidly and the piston is centered by means of a, magnetic field, practically without friction. Moreover, due to the oscillation of the piston, the air gap surrounding it at high vacuum is also sealed off to a sufficient degree. When conventional suction pumps are first put into operation or after a prolonged period of idleness the suction pipe must be prefilled, since these pumps attain the necessary vacuum so slowly that the rotating parts may freeze.

'Referring in detail to the disclosure, and particularly to the drawings, wherein like numerals denote the same or equivalent parts throughout, the housing 2,.closed by a cover 1, is subdivided at the bottom by a dam 3 into a float chamber 4 and a supply sump chamber 5. The suction pump 6 is installed in the pump chamber, and a level control device 7 is installed in the float chamber 4.

The pump and the level-control device as completely assembled units are attached to a mounting plate 8 which bridges the entire cross section of the housing. The

mounting plate rests on projections 10 in the housing with the interposition of damping butters 9, and is pressed against projections by means of a buffer 11 attached to the center of the housing cover 1. Thus, the mounting plate is not integrally mounted.

The suction pump 6, shown for purposes of a complete disclosure only, is designed as an oscillating armature pump and fastened over damping buffers 12 to a mounting plate 8. It draws the oil from a supply tank via a connecting inlet 13 attached to the housing 2, the filter 14, and the back-pressure check valve 16 located in the intake of the pump, and ducts it via an angularly constructed pipe 17 into the pump chamber 5. From here the oil flows over the dividing wall 3 which serves as an overflow dam into the control chamber 4, from where it prooeeds via the outlet 18't0 a consumption site such as an oil burner.

The suction pump 6 is coupled with the level control device 7 which is actuated by the variable heights of the oil level in the container. This level control device comprises a switch 19 with a switch contact or blade 20. The switch blade pivots upwards or downwards via two actuating rods 21 and 22about the axis of pivot 23. It thereby actuates at any given time the switch 19 via a contact screw 24. The ends of the actuating rods 21 and 22, pointing away from the switch blade are fastened at opposite sides of the flow-arm bearing 25 to the float arm 27, to which a float 26 is attached. All of the controlling parts of the level control device 7 are attached to the same holder 28, which is connected with mounting plate 8 by means of a bracket plate 29, consisting of the same piece as said holder, via screws 30. The pump 6 is energized by switch 19 only when the float 26 rests between two intermediate liquid levels. As the liquid level rises above the upper intermediate liquid level in float chamber 4, the float arm 27 pivots about bearing 25; actuating rod 22 is pressed against switch blade 20, opening the power circlu't to the pump. When the liquid level falls past the upper intermediate level, the rod 22 is lowered, releasing the switch blade 20 and energizing the pump.

In normal operation, liquid remains in the float chamber 4, and the float 26 never falls below the lower of the intermediate levels. However, due to a disturbance or mechanical failure, the float may be lowered past the lower of the intermediate levels, and actuating rod 21 is pressed against switch blade 20, again opening the power circuit to the pump. Thereafter, in order to start the motor again, it is necessary to lift the float 26 above the lower of the intermediate levels to energize the pump circuit. A rod operated by an external button and pressing against the float arm 27 to raise the float is provided for this purpose.

A third rod 34, shown in FIG. 4, is supported by a holder 28. This rod 34 extends between the actuating rods 21 and 22 via a drilled hole in the bracket plate 29 up to the switch blade 20 and, via the interposition of an adjustment screw 35, rests with its outer end on the free end of a bimetallic strip 36 which is fastened to the holder and actuates the rod.

If, for some reason, the electric control by means'of the level-control device 7 should fail and the pump should continue to deliver, the oil level will continue to rise and the safety valve 32 will be opened by means of another float 31, pivoted on the pump. The safety valve 32 clears an orifice or opening 33 above the back-pressure check valve 16 in the intake 15 of the pump. The opening is located underneath the oil level and determined by the top of the dam 3. This level does not sink when oil is removed from the float chamber 4 for purposes of consumption. Thus, the suction pump 6, when the safety valve 32 is open, draws oil only from the supply sump chamber 5, and circulates only the oil present in the housing, doing this until the oil has sunk so far in the float chamber 4, due to the removal for purposes of consumption, that the valve 32 is closed. In this manner, incase of opening of the safety valve 32, the oil column to the supply tank on the suction side does not collapse, but on the contrary the suction line remains full of oil, so that when the safety valve is closed, the pump need not drawn anew from below, i.e. the pump output recommences immediately with full force.

While we have disclosed the form of mechanism presently preferred by us for carrying the invention 1nto practice, numerous modifications, alterations and substitutions of equivalents will occur to those skilled in the art, after a study of the foregoing specification. Hence the disclosure should be taken in an illustrative rather than a limiting sense; and it is our desire and intention to reserve all modifications and substitutions of equivalents Within the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having now fully disclosed the invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A suction pump unit comprising a housing, a dam in the housing dividing the housing into a supply sump and a float chamber, a pump mounted in the housing; a liquid outlet in the float chamber; and a liquid inlet in the supply sump connecting said sump with a source of supply of liquid to be pumped, first conduit means connecting the liquid inlet with the inlet of the pump, said first conduit means passing through the supply sump, second conduit means connecting the outlet of the pump to the supply sump, and means in said housing for rendering the pump ineffective to pump the liquid from said source to said supply sump when the level of the liquid in the float chamber has reached a predetermined level comprising an orifice in the first conduit means connecting the first conduit means to the sump and located below the level of the top of the dam, and means responsive to the liquid level in the float chamber for opening and closing the orifice, whereby the opening of the orifice will result in the pump withdrawing and returning liquid to the sump, only.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the means for opening and closing the orifice comprises a float in the float chamber, a valve in the sump, and linkage means connecting the float and valve.

3. An apparatus as in claim 2 wherein the linkage means comprises a bell crank lever pivotally mounted in the housing.

4. An apparatus as in claim 1 further including a check valve in the first conduit means between the liquid inlet and the orifice to prevent the level of the liquid in the said conduit from dropping when the pump is rendered ineffective.

5. A suction pump unit for fuel-oil supply installations, comprising a suction pump (6) installed in a housing, a level-control device controlling said pump, said level-control device (7) mounted submerged in an oil-conducting float chamber (4) conduit means between said float chamber and a consuming device (18), said suction pump (6) submerged in an oil-filled supply sump (5), said supply sump separated from said float chamber by a wall (3); an inlet (13) to the sump chamber for the suction line, a back-pressure valve (16) incorporated in the pump intake (15), a safety valve (32) located above the back pressure valve and actuated by a float (31) installed below the level of the oil surface, said float (31) being mounted within said float chamber, whereby when the safety valve is open,

the pump circulates oil contained only in the sump chamber (5).

6. A suction pump unit according to claim 5 comprising means to duct the oil into the sump chamber (5) from the upper part of the pump via an angular segment of line (17), whereby the dividing wall (3) functions as an overflow dam to the float chamber (4) 3 7. A suction pump unit according to the claim 5 further comprising means to attach the level-control device (7), as well as the suction pump (6) with the valve apparatus (16, 32) belonging to it, at any given time as a mountable unit to a mounting plate (8) bridging the total cross-section of the housing (2).

8. A suction pump unit according to claim 6 further comprising means to attach the level-control device (7), as well as the suction pump (6) with the valve apparatus (16, 32) belonging to it, at any given time as a mountable unit to a mounting plate (8) bridging the total crosssection of the housing (2) 9. A suction pump unit according to claim 5, said suction pump (6) installed in the mounting plate (8) upon damping buffers (12).

10. A suction pump unit according to claim 6, said suction pump (6) installed in the mounting plate (8) upon damping 'bufiers (12).

11. A suction pump unit according to claim 7, said suction pump (6) installed in the mounting plate (8) upon damping buffers (12).

12. A suction pump unit according to claim 5 the mounting plate (8), along its contour edges, mounted resting loosely upon damping buffers (9) in the housing (2), and held down approximately in the center, via a butter (11), said buffer inserted into place by the cover (1) of the pump housing (2).

13. A suction pump unit according to claim 6 the mounting plate (8), along its contour edges, mounted resting loosely upon damping buffers (9) in the housing (2), and held down approximately in the center, via a bufier (11), said butter inserted into place by the cover (1) of the pump housing (2).

14. A suction pump unit according to claim 7 the mounting plate (8), along its contour edges, mounted resting loosely upon damping buffers (9) in the housing (2), and held down approximately in the center, via a buffer (11), said butter inserted into place .by the cover (1) of the pump housing (2) 15. A suction pump unit according to claim 8 the mounting plate (8), along its contour edges, mounted resting loosely upon damping butters (9) in the housing (2), and held down approximately in the center, via a butter (11), said butler inserted into place by the cover (1) of the pump housing (2).

16. A suction pump unit according to claim 9 the mounting plate (8), along its contour edges, mounted resting loosely upon damping buffers (9) in the housing (2), and held down approximately in the center, via a buffer (11), said buffer inserted into place by the cover (1) of the pump housing (2).

17. A suction pump unit according to claim 10 the mounting plate (8), along its contour edges, mounted resting loosely upon damping buffers (9) in the housing (2), andheld down approximately in the center, via a buffer (11), said buffer inserted into place by the cover (1) of the pump housing (2).

18. A suction pump unit according to claim 11 the mounting plate (8), along its contour edges, mounted resting loosely upon damping bulfers (9) in the housing (2), and held down approximately in the center, via a buffer (11), said buffer inserted into place by the cover (1) of the pump housing (2).

19. A suction pump unit according to claim 5 wherein the suction pump (6) is an oscillating armature pump.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 315,098 4/1885 White 103-39 779,492 1/ 1905 McKnight 103-39 849,048 4/ 1907 Cable 123-136 2,165,585 7/1939 Spackman 103-39 2,254,850 9/1941 Mallory 158-364 2,371,339 3/1945 Markwart 103-39 2,818,111 12/1957 Ross 158-364 3,170,480 2/1965 Stone et al 158-364 3,172,362 3/1965 Sawyer 103-53 3,233,607 2/1966 Bolie 103-53 FOREIGN PATENTS 351,917 12/ 1929 Great Britain.

MARK NEWMAN, Primary Examiner.

MARTIN P. SCHWVADRON, Examiner.

W. J. KRAUSS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SUCTION PUMP UNIT COMPRISING A HOUSING, A DAM IN THE HOUSING DIVIDING THE HOUSING INTO A SUPPLY SUMP AND A FLOAT CHAMBER, A PUMP MOUNTED IN THE HOUSING; A LIQUID OUTLET IN THE FLOAT CHAMBER; AND A LIQUID INLET IN THE SUPPLY SUMP CONNECTING SAID SUMP WITH A SOURCE OF SUPPLY OF LIQUID TO BE PUMPED, FIRST CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTING THE LIQUID INLET WITH THE INLET OF THE PUMP, SAID FIRST CONDUIT MEANS PASSING THROUGH THE SUPPLY SUMP, SECOND CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTING THE OUTLET OF THE PUMP TO THE SUPPLY SUMP, AND MEANS IN SAID HOUSING FOR RENDERING THE PUMP INEFFECTIVE TO PUMP THE LIQUID FROM SAID SOURCE TO SAID SUPPLY SUMP WHEN THE LEVEL OF THE LIQUID IN THE FLOAT CHAMBER HAS REACHED A PREDETERMINED LEVEL COMPRISING AN ORIFICE IN THE FIRST CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTING THE FIRST CONDUIT MEANS TO THE SUMP AND LOCATED BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE TOP OF THE DAM, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE LIQUID LEVEL IN THE FLOAT CHAMBER FOR OPENING AND CLOSING THE ORIFICE, WHEREBY THE OPENING OF THE ORIFICE WILL RESULT IN THE PUMP WITHDRAWING AND RETURNING LIQUID TO THE SUMP ONLY. 